When a man has a son who is stubborn and a rebel one who does not listen to the voice
of his father or to the voice of his mother and they discipline him and he still
does not listen to them.
When a man has a son who is stubborn and a rebel one who does not listen to the voice
of his father or to the voice of his mother and they discipline him and he still
does not listen to them.
Then his father and his mother are to grab him and drag him to the town elders in the gates of his place And they are to say to the town elders, "Our son is stubborn and a rebel he does not listen to our voice he is a glutton and a drunkard!"
Then all the men of the town are to pelt him with stones so that he dies So shall you burn the evil out of your midst's and all Israel will hear and be awed.
When I first read this, I did not know what to think. I chose this verse because it interested me and I researched it and found some interesting information. The way I found my information is by reading Jewish books about parents and children, looking up verses from the Bible which Margaret suggested to me about parents and children, and I also found a couple of neat Internet sources. I got the following information from a web page (http://bible.ort.org/) which gives links between the Torah and later Jewish law. These are later rabbis' interpretations of my verse from the Torah:
When a man has a wayward and rebellious son who does not obey his father or mother, they shall have him flogged. If he still does not listen to them, then his father and mother must grasp him and bring him to the elders of the city and say "Our son is a wayward and rebellious child, he does not listen to us and he is an exceptional glutton and drunkard".
In order to be stoned, the boy must be between be ages of 13 and 13 and one quarter. The law does not apply to girls. The boy will be flogged with 39 lashes only if he eats the meal of the rebellious son which is forbidden.
Both the mother and father must agree to bring him to the local Supreme Court of 23 judges.
By tradition, the rebellious son must steal money from his father, and buy 50 dinars of meat, and eat it rare outside of his father's property in bad company. This is the act which must be witnessed by two additional people besides his parents in order for the son to be put to death. He must also drink a half a log (5 ounces) of wine with the meal. It is forbidden for a boy of this age to eat such a meal at any time.
If the punishment is carried out, the boy will be hung up by his hands just before sunset for the town to see and immediately taken down again after sunset.
These laws have been put in by rabbis in earlier centuries and changed and made into an interpretation of what the words mean so that there will never be a child killed.
I e-mailed Joel Grishaver and got some feedback which I used and was happy to have. It helped me a lot.
What I learned was that the Rabbi's who interpreted the Torah, added more rules to the law which made it almost impossible for the law to be carried out. The additional rules include the number of witnesses, the amount of meat and the amount of wine which had to be eaten and drunk, the limitation of the law to apply only to boys, the limitation of the law to apply only to boys between the ages of 13 and 13 1/4, and the need for both parents to agree to bring the boy to the court of 23 judges. If any of these requirements were not met, the boy could not be put to death. Joel and most rabbis believe that no child was ever killed by this law.
I did some additional study that Margaret suggested and I found some interesting quotes about parents and Children. Proverbs verse 6: 20-22 Says: "My son keep your fathers commandments, do not forsake your mothers teaching. Tie them over your Heart. Always bind them around your throat. When you walk it will lead you. When you lie down, it will watch over you and when you are awake it will talk with you".
I think this means your parents teachings will always be with you to guide you through life and help you over life's obstacles. As an example, my mother has told me that although her grandmother is dead she still remembers things about her that she thinks of in her daily life.
I also got some feedback from Joel Grishaver concerning this topic. Joel gave me many things to think about. He said that the study of Torah can lead to understanding that is much deeper than the words themselves. If you dig deep enough, you can find information to help you understand more than the literal meaning of the words in the Torah.
Mina has always said, "What is the meaning of Torah?". I think I have found a part of the answer, that the Torah is a book of teachings. You can learn from the Torah and interpret it your own way and in a way that is good for everyone. You can learn from the Torah and explore Judaism.
I'd like to thank Dawn and Bob for planning this whole service and party and for being there for me through my life. I'd also like to thank my two lovely sisters who are there for me too -- me being the middle child. I'd like to thank all my relatives for being here. I'd like to thank my grandparents for all the ways they have helped and for being my grandparents. And a special thanks to Margaret and Miriam for teaching me my portion and my studies. Thanks to all the teachers of the Torah school and thanks to this Jewish community for bringing me up.
Copyright 1997, 1998 Zev Schlosser
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Updated 03/07/98 (rge)